Ma On Shan Mums

T

TheQuasimother

Registered User
Hi!

Are there any mums who could tell me what it's like living in Ma On Shan?
We're looking into moving (again!) because where we currently are is just too far for my son to commute to school but we don't want to make a move without knowing what it's like to live in that area.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers!
QM
 
I live in Ma On Shan! Well, actually I live kind of just between Ma On Shan and Shatin in Chevalier Garden. Ma On Shan is quite a big area, so it might depend exactly where you live if you need specifics. I love it here. We have lived here for a year and a half. I am surrounded by mountains and just a 5 min. walk to the train station on the Ma On Shan line. I can walk from my house to the water in under 10 min, and there's a great path all along the water. There is a pretty nice mall right outside Ma On Shan Station that doesn't have lots of great western restaurants, but it's decent enough. They do have pizza hut, KFC, and McDonald's there, but no Starbucks or any coffee shop. Still, it's got a wellcome superstore and a big Park N Shop. It also has free shuttle bus services from there to our home and quite a few other locations around town. There are lots of parks and places for riding bicycles, and there is the country park there also. I don't find it too far away, as there are good bus routes to the Island and most places you need to go, as well as the train. If you can't find what you need there, Shatin is not too far and has a much bigger shopping mall. It's mostly a local kind of place with many wet markets and people who don't always speak English, but I don't mind and enjoy living here a lot. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask me!
 
Thanks Tsubasa!

We're hoping to be as close as possible to Heng On Station where RC is.
We would like to be able to simply walk our 5 year old to school.
Do you have any recommendations? The other alternative is to be as close as possible to the Ma On Shan Park - I heard that there is a nice waterfront park there.

I don't mind the localness of it all. It's all part of the HK experience :-)

Also, how easy is it to get to Sai Kung? My little daughter will probably need to go to playgroup or something or rather based there. Or is there a mothersgroup that meets regularly? Or a helper's playgroup?

Thanks.

Cheers!
QM
 
There are a few places to live close to Renaissance, such as Vista Paradiso, Sausalito etc. Ma On Shan city is also a good choice (like you mentioned) - places like Villa Athena, Villa Oceania etc. The places I mentioned have good seaviews. Actually if you live anywhere close to the KCR/MTR on the MOS line is convenient. Further up on the line is Lake Silver which is newer with a large clubhouse, and further down the line is Tai Wai which is convenient for transportation in general. Just ask a real estate agent to show you around the apartments in MOS one day to give you an idea of the surroundings.

It's a 15-20 mins drive by car to Sai Kung town thru the MOS Country Park, a little longer if you take the bus or if you need to go past Sai Kung towards Clearwater Bay. You may want to consider Shatin or Kowloon Tong for playgroups as an alternative.
 
i drive through ma on shan every day on my way to tsing yi and shatin. we also have taken the kids to the public pool in ma on shan which is FANTASTIC! it is about 4X the size of the public pool in sai kung.

i would suggest that you look at getting a cheap second hand car and then you can be in shatin in 10 minutes & sai kung in 15 minutes.

if housing for us and the dogs werent' a problem, i would definitely consider ma on shan...
 
Thanks ladies!
I'm keen on Lake Silver but on our budget, we're probably going to end up with a pigeon hole there! LOL! I've got a couple of months to get my head around living in a pigeon hole. So it'll be alright :-)
 
Are you trying to buy or rent? There are village houses in Tai Shui Hang Village just next to our place, too. Tai Shui Hang is one stop from Heng On by train.
 
@Tsubasa, we're renters.

Rent prices just seems to be crazy at the moment!
I'm not sure about living in a village house as I've heard about break ins, triads etc. That is why we've chosen Ma On Shan versus Sai Kung.
 
too bad... you've heard incorrectly. village houses are the way to go! cheaper, more private, more space!

there are a few bad villages (nam wai is known for triads), but honestly, i've lived in 2 villages and my aunt lives in another... there are no triads in sight. as a matter of fact, most of the people in our villages are expats! as for break-ins? in 6 years in villages (1997-1999 & 2007-present) we've never had a break in... and during all of that time, i've only heard of 1 break in in any of the villages around us!
 
TheQuasimother said:
Thanks ladies!
I'm keen on Lake Silver but on our budget, we're probably going to end up with a pigeon hole there! LOL! I've got a couple of months to get my head around living in a pigeon hole. So it'll be alright :-)
Click to expand...

Have you considered Symphony Bay (ie. Villa Concerto or Villa Rhapsody) close to Lake Silver ? It's a nice place to live, much quieter, less crowded, cheaper than LS, & apartment useable area much larger than LS. There is a shuttle bus to Shatin New Town Plaza, and Sunshine City in MOS for shopping. Better to have a car though if you live there.
 
the only reason i would ever consider going back to mid-rise/high-rise living would be for clubhouse facilities... i've often commented to hubby that i didn't understand why someone would move so "far" out, just to live in another high-rise...but i know that there are hundreds of thousands that do...

anyway... my feelings on the matter don't count... i do hope that you are able to find something that you're happy with and that will be a good fit for your family.
 
Cara, I'm quite clueless about Sai Kung and it's surrounding villages. We have about the same budget as you do. Where do you suggest we look at if we're looking into Sai Kung? What's a good village and what's not? We've not ruled out Sai Kung. We're there often enough and love the area. We do own a car but we both work so we're very much dependent on a helper to take our kids around. So the village has to have mini buses that are fairly regular.
 
i would look along sai sha road. there are buses going both ways: to sai kung and to ma on shan/shatin. also, taxis are plentiful.

otherwise, you could look at sha kok mei. it's only a 5-10 minute walk to sai kung town, well populated, many expats...you'd at least be able to get 700'... if your budget is around $20k, then i would go to one of the agents and ask them to show you anything and everything within your budget, you may be lucky and even get a 1400' duplex.... then compare.

we live out in the country park and it has public transport, but it's not great(the transport, not the park... we enjoy the park very much!). when we had our helper, though, she was always home before 10pm because the last bus was 9:30. her husband stays out until around midnight and shares a taxi home with some of the other male helpers in the area.

there are lots of activities in sai kung town as well as a great local kindergarten and a good local primary school. (this may not apply to you though, as you may get subsidised schooling for your little ones). there are ballet classes, pottery, mandarin, swimming, tennis, etc all right in town.

could also look at po lo che village.

the ONLY village that i've ever heard of with triad issues is nam wai (closer to the large round-about going up towards clearwater bay).

security? we have dogs, so we've never had a problem... but even when i lived in a village years ago, we never had any problem... just don't keep loads of cash lying around. and make sure to lock up any valuables. if you're very worried, buy a safe for your cupboard to put all important documents, jewellry etc.

if you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask. personally, i would not want to go back to living in a high rise... but that's me and village life doesn't suit everyone.
 
Yeah I have heard about some break-ins, too, though can't shake the idea of living in a little house someday! If you're concerned about the budget, there are lots of semi-public housing (like where we live) that can be rented out by the tenants as well. They are generally much bigger sizes, meaning they actually come close to measuring INSIDE of the flat the number of square feet they supposedly are. Doesn't include balconies, bay windows, communal clubhouse space, lobby space, etc. in the "size" quoted I mean. At least for older places. But then, they are also a lot more local-culture too. Anywhere along the Ma On Shan line would probably be fine for you guys, as it's so convenient to get anywhere really. I've lived in Ravana Garden and loved it there, too (near Shek Mun Station). Now I live in Chevalier Garden (Tai Shui Hang Station). City One Shatin is convenient if you like to be more in the center of things (City One Shatin Station). There are loads of good places in Tai Wai if you don't mind being a bit farther away. I work in Tai Wai and it takes me under half an hour by bus or train total from door to door. I think Ma On Shan's a good place.
 
Thank you Cara! Very handy information.
Also, Cara, do you know if there are children who have no knowledge of Cantonese or Putonghua learning at that primary school? I mean zilch! No foundation at all. I am very interested to know if kids with no Cantonese knowledge can attend P1 in such a school and thrive. My son's one of them and while we would love for him to attend such a school, we are EXTREMELY cautious about it given that he has no knowledge of these languages at all.

Tsubasa, thanks for the suggestions. If I'm going to live in a high rise that is the size of the pigeon hole, I want to be able to access good club house facilities. Otherwise, we'd rather live in a village house.
 
i just got the letter from the primary school on friday...
we had to choose english section or chinese section.

english section:
english
cantonese or mandarin
maths and all other subjects in english

i wanted to start my son in all other subjects in cantonese, but hubby is afraid of the homework!LOL!

also, the school offers an after-school homework help time at school. so, your kids can stay at school longer and have the teachers help them with their homework.

i have met quite a few western kids who attend the school. all of the parents are extremely happy with it.
 
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